Homemade Danish Pastry Dough.

My favorite homemade pastry dough. Flaky, tender, and oh-so-buttery. It’s easy to make Danish pastry at home if you take your time and read through all of the simple instructions. There are plenty of visuals below the recipe to help guide you.

The dough must be sufficiently chilled whenever you are working with it. Because of all this chilling, this pastry is a wonderful recipe to begin the night before and serve as brunch the next morning. Or even prep the dough 3 days in advance so your work can be cut down when your guests arrive. Or if you’re super organized (I’m jealous), make the dough 1 month ahead of time and freeze it. (Detailed make-ahead instructions are written in the recipe below.)

It’s important to know that the dough recipe makes 2 lbs of dough, which equals 2 braids. 1 braid should serve 4-6 people. Make 2 braids for company. If you don’t need that many tempting danishes around, freeze the second half of the dough for a later time.

Feel free to cut the pastry dough into different shapes and sizes, depending how you like your danishes. This recipe details how to make the dough into a braid.

Do NOT be overwhelmed. I made sure to break everything down very easily, so a lot of the text in this recipe is me being as thorough as possible. Be sure to use the photos below this recipe as a visual guide.

Homemade Danish Pastry Dough (Quick Method)

Follow these easy instructions and create flaky, buttery Danish pastry braids at home. Be sure to use the photos below this recipe as a visual guide.

Yield:2 braids, 4-6 servings each

Prep Time:1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time:at least 6 hours, which includes chilling time

Ingredients:

Pastry

1/4 cup (60ml) warm water, 105F-115F degrees

2 and 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (1 standard package)

1/2 cup (120ml) milk, at room temperature*

1 large egg, at room temperature

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 and 1/2 cups (315g) unbleached all-purpose flour

14 Tablespoons (210g) unsalted butter, cold

Egg Wash

1 large egg

2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk

Directions:

Whisk the yeast and warm water together in a large bowl. Allow to sit for 3 minutes until foamy. Add milk, egg, granulated sugar, and salt. Once these wet ingredients are mixed together, set the bowl aside and make your butter/flour mixture.

Cut butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a food processor or blender. Top with flour. Pulse the mixture 10-12 times, until butter is fairly crumbled.

Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Very gently fold the two mixtures together. Do not be angry with the dough! You want to be very, very, very gentle when you are folding the two together. Fold *just until* the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces, which creates a flaky pastry. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough up tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

After 4-12 hours, take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the "rolling and folding" process. Flour a work surface. The dough will be sticky, so make sure you have flour nearby as you roll and fold. Using the palm of your hands, gently flatten the dough into a small square. From there, roll out into a 15 inch long rectangle using your rolling pin. You may have to continue to lightly flour the counter as you are rolling. Fold the dough together as if it were a business letter. And roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. Then, fold again into a business letter. You'll repeat rolling and folding 1 more time for a total of 3 times.

Fold the dough up tightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

After at least 30 minutes, take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Wrap 1 half up and keep chilled as you work with the first half. Roll out your dough to make a 12x6 inch rectangle. I rolled this dough out onto a floured work surface, but I suggest you roll it out onto a lined baking sheet. (Lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.) It is tough to transfer the braided dough from the counter to the baking sheet, unless you are very careful!

Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end. (visual below)

Spread 1/2 of the filling (raspberry or cream cheese) down the length of the center of the strip. Cut slanting strips (3/4 inch - 1 inch each) along both sides. I used a very sharp knife, but a pastry wheel or pizza cutter will work just fine. I find this video VERY helpful. Fold the bottom end up to "seal" the filling in and allow the braid to rest for 15-20 minutes as you preheat your oven. Repeat with the second half of the dough and the rest of the filling.

Preheat oven to 400F. Beat the egg wash ingredients together. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. There will be enough egg wash for both braids. The egg wash gives your pastry that beautiful sheen.

Bake each braid for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pan at least two times to ensure the braid is browning evenly. My oven has hot spots, so I rotated my braid every 5 minutes. Mine took 16 minutes.

Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!

*I tested this dough with 1% and skim milk. Would also work with 2% or whole. Avoid nondairy milk.

Make Ahead: prepare the dough through step 3. The dough at this point can be chilled overnight and up to 3 days. OR prepare the dough through step 5. Fold the dough up tightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. During this second chilling time, you could actually keep the dough frozen for up to 1 month. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you are ready to shape in step 6.

I made the dough in the evening, so pardon my horrible lighting in these photos.

1) First, you must start with the correct temperature of your ingredients. Temperature is imperative to the success of your Danish pastry dough.

Mix 2 and 1/4 teaspoons (1 standard packet) of active dry yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water. Allow to sit for 3 minutes until it is foamy. This is called “proofing the yeast.” Once bubbly and foamy, you can proceed to combine the yeast mixture with the other dough ingredients. If there is no foam in the bowl, the yeast is dead and you should start over with a new packet of yeast.

2) Cut 14 Tablespoons of butter into 1/4 inch slices and add to a food processor or blender. Top with 2 and 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour.

Pulse the mixture 10-12 times, until butter is fairly crumbled.

3) Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. VERY gently, fold the two mixtures together. Do not be angry with the dough! You want to be very, very, very gentle when you are folding the two together. Fold *just until* the dry ingredients are moistened. The butter must remain in pieces, which will create a flaky pastry.

Here is my dough about halfway through mixing the wet and dry ingredients:

Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap.

Wrap the dough up tightly and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. The dough at this point can be chilled overnight and up to 3 days.

4) After 4-12 hours (or up to 3 days), take the dough out of the refrigerator to begin the “rolling and folding” process. Flour a work surface. The dough will be sticky, so make sure you have flour nearby as you roll and fold.

Using the palm of your hands, gently flatten the dough into a small square.

From there, roll out into a 15 inch long rectangle using your rolling pin.

Be careful. The dough is sticky. You may have to continue to lightly flour the counter as you are rolling.

Notice all of the butter specks? That is a GOOD thing!

Fold the dough together as if it were a business letter.

And roll it out into a 15 inch long rectangle again. Then, fold again into a business letter. You’ll repeat the “rolling and folding” three times.

Why are you doing this? Repeating the rolling and folding is creating the flaky layers in your pastry dough. If at any point in this process, your dough becomes way too soft, cover and refrigerate it for 30 minutes. And always, always make sure your work surface is floured since the dough is sticky.

5) After rolling and folding three times, fold it up tightly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.

During this second chilling time, you could actually keep the dough frozen for up to 1 month. Then thaw overnight in the refrigerator when you are ready to shape.

6) After at least 30 minutes, take the dough from the refrigerator and cut it in half. Wrap 1 half up and keep chilled as you work with the first half.

Roll out your dough to make a 12×6 inch rectangle. You’ll want to have a ruler handy to measure.

I rolled this dough out onto a floured work surface, but I suggest you roll it out onto your lined baking sheet. It is tough to transfer the braided dough from the counter to the baking sheet, unless you are very careful!

7) Cut off two corners of the dough and then two small triangles at the other end:

8) Spread half of the filling (raspberry or cream cheese) down the length of the center of the strip. Cut slanting strips (3/4 inch – 1 inch each) along both sides. I used a very sharp knife, but a pastry wheel or pizza cutter will work just fine.

Fold the bottom end up to “seal” the filling in and allow the braid to rest for 15-20 minutes as you preheat your oven.

9) Preheat oven to 400F. Beat 1 egg with 2 Tablespoons of milk. Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash. This gives your pastry that beautiful sheen. There will be enough egg wash left for your second braid.

10) Bake for 15-16 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to rotate the pan at least two times to ensure the braid is browning evenly. My oven has hot spots, so I rotated my braid every 5 minutes.

11) Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!